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I’m sitting here trying to rack my brain as to why someone would trash this beautiful place. We found the most ridiculous trash, radiator hoses, an electrical outlet that looked like it had been ripped out of a camp ground and thrown into the woods, gum, fruit stickers, and so many cigarette butts. The amount of trash wasn’t as bad as some places I’ve been, but later that day we saw a bear on the side of the road eating some indistinguishable human trash. Even when the amount is small, it still impacts the wildlife AND the community. This bear was so close to the road we could hear him chewing as we drove by with our window down. She easily could have been hit causing harm to herself and humans, all because someone couldn’t take the time to find a trash can rather than throw it out their car window into a National Park. Even with the sadness of the trash I’m glad to have a community like The Wild Keepers (you rock @notsojrrangers !!!) to do clean ups with. #keepyourtrashtoyourself#keepnaturewild#thewildkeepers#impactday@keepnaturewild@thewildkeepers#greatsmokymountainsnationalpark#smokymountains#cleanitup#planetvsplastic#plogging#trailcleanup

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A black bear eating on the side of the road just outside of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. While this was a really cool experience, I couldn’t help but think about how he was drawn to the side of the road because of litter. He was close enough that my friend in the passenger side could hear him chewing from our car as we passed. On our way back home the darkness shrouding the same side road area could’ve hidden an entire family of bears until they were in the road, putting both humans and animals in danger. Whether it’s compostable or not, let’s keep our human impact where it belongs and not tempt wildlife into non wild areas. #keepyourtrashtoyourself#wildkeepers#keepnaturewild#motherofearth#bearspotting#gsmnp#smokymountains#lendahandhelptheland#planetvsplastic